Kia ora, good evening and welcome to the show that celebrates the year that was 2018 ` all 365 days of it. In fact, it's been one of the great years. It's the year New Zealand touched space. It's the year we marked a century since the end of the First World War,... ...petrol hit $2.50 a litre,... ...the two Koreas shook hands,... ...and it was the year we turned our backs on plastic bags because all this time they'd been killing baby whales. Over the next hour, we're going to look back at the key moments of 2018, but first ` let's settle into the year in review in our comfy chairs. (UPBEAT MUSIC) www.able.co.nz Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air. Able 2018 Well, welcome to the comfy seats. Isn't this lovely, Hilary? Did you make these? I did, actually. Oh, they're lovely, then. Yeah, they're made out of dolphin, which is impressive. This carpet as well` I don't know if you can see the carpet, but that's recycled from the New Year's Eve show in 1979, which is wonderful. Welcome to the show, as we begin our look back with one of the feel-good moments of the year ` the joining of holy matrimony of a red-headed English prince and an American actress. Around the world, 1.9 billion people watched on the telly. 1.9 billion! And I'll tell you why ` it's a fairy tale romance that turned into a fairy tale wedding. And, Jeremy, we love a fairy tale. (CHEERING) An utterly exquisite dress. (TRUMPET FANFARE PLAYS) (UPBEAT ELECTRONIC MUSIC) Harry, will you take Meghan to be your wife? Will you love her, comfort her, honour and protect her, and forsaking all other, be faithful to her as long as you both shall live? I will. (LAUGHTER) Meghan, will you take Harry? I will. Imagine this tired, old world when love is the way. When love is the way ` unselfish, sacrificial, redemptive ` when love is the way. Then no child will go to bed hungry in this world ever again. When love is the way we will let justice roll down like a mighty stream, and righteousness like an ever-flowing brook. When love is the way, poverty will become history. When love is the way, the earth will be a sanctuary. All of God's children, cos when love is the way, we actually treat each other like we are actually family. When love is the way. Pierre Teilhard de Chardin` And with this, I will sit down. We got to get y'all married. (LAUGHTER) Well, that was a very forceful and uplifting message from Bishop Michael. We're not used to such an outlandish person to come along and just say` you know, wham! And just take the Windsor church by storm. I, Harry, take you, Meghan. To be my wife. To be my wife. I, Meghan, take you, Harry. To be my husband. To be my husband. Harry and Meghan have given their consent and made their marriage vows to each other. I therefore proclaim that they are husband and wife. (MOMENTOUS ORCHESTRAL MUSIC) Bride looking radiant. And there is the kiss that everyone was hoping for and waiting for. (LIVELY MUSIC) Oh, I should have brought a box of tissues. It's just` Nah, I'm fine. It's emotional, isn't it? Joining us now on the comfy seats ` Breakfast presenter Hayley Holt. Hayley, you weren't the biggest royalist of all time, but that wedding, it sucked you in. You're a changed woman. I was. I was home ` accidentally ` on the night, so I turned it on just to see what double entendre that Princess Bea might be wearing on her head, and then I just got sucked in. It was fascinating. The outfits, the bishop, the weird looks that the royals were giving each other the whole time. Brilliant. Brilliant stuff. Let's focus on the bride for a minute because I do think that it was really gorgeous the way ` even though her father wasn't well enough to be there ` Prince Charles walked her up the aisle. Didn't you think that was lovely? I thought that was a wonderful moment. Fascinating build up to the royal wedding. And that was the thing ` there was so much talk about how all that was going to go down. It was all about her family, her dad being a little bit off-the-wall. Her sister was just feeding all of these ridiculous things to the newspapers. Of course they were going to lap it up, but she really pulled it off. She's a very refined woman, isn't she, Meghan Markle? She absolutely is. You can tell. She's very, very stylish, and now she's having a baby, so that's something to look forward to in 2019. Oh, it's so exciting for us, isn't it? It is very exciting. So many babies! It was a year of babies, and we've got more next year. Thank you so much for being with us, Hayley. Thank you. Happy New Year to you. Now, all those 1 news viewers out there will know that the biggest story at home this year was the Prime Minister having a baby. Yes, Jacinda Ardern formed a coalition government, announced she was pregnant, prime minister-ed right up until just before she gave birth, had six weeks off, came back and prime minister-ed all over again. All in the space of a year. Jacinda Ardern has announced that she is pregnant. It's interesting how much people have been counting back to` (LAUGHS) ...the conception, as it were. Really? It's official. The Labour Prime Minister is in labour. Hasn't that got a great ring to it? Now, look, so far there has been 17 babies born here today. Will Jacinda's baby be lucky number 18? Like all the other expectant mothers in there, it just becomes a waiting game. To breaking news now, Jacinda Ardern's baby has arrived. (BABY CRIES) In breaking news` Some happy news, from New Zealand` There's a new little kiwi in the world. New Zealand's prime minister, Jacinda Ardern` ...has given birth to a baby girl. New Zealand ` first prime minister to give birth while in office. Everything about it is very modern, even the way it was announced ` it was announced to New Zealand and the world on social media. Jacinda Ardern and partner Clarke Gayford, introduced on Instagram ` Kia ora, good morning. We interrupt normal programming for a very special reason ` prime minister Jacinda Ardern is about to introduce her new baby girl to New Zealand and the world. Neve Te Aroha Ardern Gayford or Neve Gayford, for short. They have been the fastest six weeks of my life. And now she's back to being prime minister too. And a little history-making. The PM becoming the first leader to bring her child into a United Nations meeting, where Neve swiftly stole the show. What is harder ` running a country or taking a three-month-old on a 17-hour flight to get here. We were just discussing some of that. It felt, at the time, on par, I have to say... It's something that every parent has gone through, and yet, I absolutely accept this layer of interest because it's not our normal yet. But one day it will be. It was a huge story, wasn't it? It was a huge story. Mm, absolutely was. And babies will be a big part of next year, too ` especially for the woman who fills in for you sometimes, Jeremy. And that is Unleashed host, Anika Moa. Anika's having a baby, so we asked her for some ideas on names. Here is a list of my top five baby names. Neve Te Aroha. Osama? I really like that name. Tutira Mai Nga Iwi Nga Hau E Wha Rangi Tumai Hone Harawira Tekoteko Tekau Ma Toru Atemoa. Or ` this is a good one ` Benson or Hedges, depending on what kind of brand I like. Peter Stuyves` I don't know. Anyway, that's my top-five baby names. So, you can choose to take Anika's advice or not. Now, thank you, Anika, and happy New Year to you and yours. We're going to be back with some gravitas because Breakfast newsreader Daniel Faitaua is with us shortly. We will see you soon. * (UPBEAT MUSIC) I remember that it is a really fast-paced year. New job, new opportunities. Four Kanye albums came out, that was pretty cool. Getting an eye operation, to be honest. My holiday in New Zealand. Probably some natural disasters as well which happened, which wasn't cool. Lots of schoolwork. (LAUGHS) I think, having my baby. I remember making heaps of new friends. Welcome back to our look back at the year that was 2018. I'm Hilary Barry. And I'm Jeremy Wells. We are standing in our solar system because space is the final frontier, and this year humankind took giant steps out into space. Although, we didn't make it all the way to Uranus. Not yet. No, there it is. There. Uranus. We did not, but from the mighty Mahia Peninsula, little kiwi company Rocket Lab launched an actual satellite into orbit ` A first for 'can do' kiwi technology. But the really big space news of 2018 was NASA landing a probe not on Uranus but on the red planet, Mars. A planet which we know, thanks to Matt Damon, you can grow potatoes on. Here is the year in space ` (DAVID BOWIE'S 'LIFE ON MARS') Touchdown confirmed. (CHEERING, APPLAUSE) I am over the moon. It's incredible! The whole room went crazy. This first couple of pictures of a place no human has ever seen before also remind us that in order to do science, we have to be bold and we have to be explorers. Our accuracy is comparable to shooting a basketball from Staples Center in downtown LA, and hitting nothing but net in a basketball hoop in New York City that is moving at a speed of about 2 feet per second, and is spinning about its axis. Seven, six` Never set out to just reach orbit. We set out to fundamentally change the space industry. (ROCKET LAUNCHES) # It's business # It's business time # (CHEERING) # You're trying to say it's time for business # It's business time # Travelling at 27 times the speed of sound, 500km above our heads. There's a new man-made star. So, New Zealand has done something here that there's only 11 other countries in the world that have ever achieved. And if you look at those 11 countries, they're all superpowers. Well, it seems only proper to go from space to a man many feel lives on a different planet. That's right. The president of the United States, Donald Trump's had another newsworthy year. And let's be clear, if he didn't tweet about it, it was fake news. So, here's the year that was through the orange-tinted glasses of President Donald J. Trump. (DRIVING ROCK MUSIC) Whatever you're gonna do is OK with us. Just make sure we can trade together, that's all that matters. I would much rather have her as my friend than my enemy, that I can tell you. We're not doing well. Uh, let me call the Russians to help. President Putin, uh, he just said, 'It's not Russia.' I will say this ` I don't see any reason why it would be. In a key sentence in my remarks, I said the word 'would' instead of 'wouldn't'. I think that probably clarifies things pretty good by itself. She talks about a letter that he signed. I don't even remember it. And it specifically talks about this deal. And I think January has a written statement. Reporters are like, 'Uh, TV show... three words. No, two words, two words.' China has total respect for Donald Trump and for Donald Trump's very, very large brain. CROWD CHANTS: We love America! We love America! Once again, full faith and support for America's intelligence agencies. I have a full faith in our intelligence agencies. Whoops, they just turned off the light. That must be the intelligence agencies. (LAUGHTER) There we go. It's OK. Are you guys OK? When you report fake news, which CNN does a lot, you are the enemy of the people. Go ahead. Excuse me, you said we're from where? Rudaw Media Network from Kurdistan region, north of Iraq. OK. I'm a Kurd. Good. Good. Um, sir` Great people. Thank you, sir. So, Mr President` Great people. Mr President, I wanna` Thank you. Are you a Kurd? Mr President` Good. They're great people. They're great fighters. I like 'em a lot. Let's go. I like this question so far. Mr President, you` Yes, please, Mr Kurd. That's enough. Well, I was gonna ask one of the other folks. That's enough. Pardon me, ma'am. I'm not concerned anything with the Russian investigation, because it's a hoax. That's enough. Put down the mic. I just love the way that aide is grabbing the microphone. That's like me, New Year's Eve, at a karaoke bar. Oh my goodness. Give me the mic, it's my turn. That is amazing. When you look at that clip, you see how many wonderful moments there were this year. Truly, what a magnificent year he had. And joining us now on the comfy chairs ` Daniel Faitaua. Go easy, babes. We've gotta get through to midnight. I'm telling you, this is for Donald Trump. (LAUGHS) Every time there's a story on Donald Trump, I'm surprised I'm not stretchered in because of the amount of alcohol one drinks when you hear his shocking or surprising comments that he makes. Or would we say entertaining? Well, it is entertaining. I'll tell you now, he provides a lot of news for the news team. There's no shortage of news, so thank you, Mr Trump. What's been your favourite this year? Favourite moment this year, you've seen it. I think it's the war of words with journalists at press conferences. Mmm. With Jim Acosta, that you just saw just then, but also with April Ryan, an African-American reporter, and also there was a Japanese reporter who stood up and asked a question. Donald Trump asked where he's from. He said Japan. He goes, 'All right, Shinzo. Go for it.' (LAUGHS) Shinzo, is, of course, the prime minister of Japan. So he's like, 'Right, Shinzo. Go for it.' I mean this guy is unbelievable. Now, something else that was big in 2018 ` dance` Oh, wrong camera. (CHUCKLES) Over there. Hey, I'm laying off this, I swear. Just a couple of sips so far. Dance crazes on the old internet. And here are your top five in an order we think is appropriate. At number five, it is the Level Up challenge. OK, check this out. That was a thing in 2018. I gave it a go once and nearly put my back out. I don't recommend it. Coming in at number four, the Keke challenge. This was more my jam. # Keke, do you love me? # Little bit slower. Yeah, I see you're more of a Keke sort of girl. Yup. Yeah. Wait for the little thing where you pretend you're driving the car. I see, there, with the flip. And then you do this bit... Yeah, OK. Coming in at number three, Best Mates. Mm-hm. No. You don't look great doing that, do you? It's not gonna do you a whole lot of favours if you're trying to pick someone up. And number two, this is called Hype. (RAP MUSIC PLAYS) Oh yeah, that's a bit of me. I actually think I might be able to do that one. I have seen these. This is number one. You'll know this one, Daniel, cos you've got teenage sons ` the Floss. The Floss. I still haven't mastered it, though. It's the whole shoving your hips one way and doing your arms the other way. Come on, let's give it a go. OK. Daniel, you know how to do it. Teach us. It's all about rhythm, so hips go one way, which you both will struggle with, but hips go one way, and the arms go that way. And now go in, out. (SNORTS) Oh, I've gotta swap! HB, you've got no rhythm. You almost look like you need hip surgery. (LAUGHS) Maybe I've had hip surgery! Oh, Jeremy's got it. No, I don't. No, you look like a washing machine. No, I don't. It's all right. One of us has got it. I'll leave you guys to it. It looks so simple, and yet it's not. No. They don't call you Flossing Faitaua for nothing, though. (LAUGHS) No, they don't. I love it. Well, thank you so much, Daniel. Do you wanna pop a thingy? Yeah, let's pop a thingy. This is what we do. Yeah. Every guest gets to pop a thingy. We've done a few of them. Have we popped them all? Just pop it away from ears. Happy New Year! Happy New Year! There we go. That's better. (POPPING) Yeah, that's not bad. Oh, it went in my drink. That's all right. Slightly toxic. I'll live. ALL: Cheers. (GLASSES CLINK) To 2018 and a good 2019. Yes. (HILARY SNIGGERS) Early morning. Early morning. It's been a big year. It's been a big year. (EXHALES) Big year. Thanks, guys. It's a pleasure. Save us some bubbles for later, Daniel. Right, now that we've humiliated Daniel, or rather, ourselves, it's time to move on. Thank you so much, Daniel. You're welcome. Nice to see you guys. It's been lovely spending New Year's Eve with you at TVNZ, instead of with my family and friends. (LAUGHTER) Now, the weather. Everyone likes to talk about the weather. And if you're talking about the weather with your family and friends tonight on New Year's Eve, you are... We will be back right after the break with 1 News weather guru Dan Corbett. * (UPBEAT MUSIC) Probably to eat healthier. Survive next year on me new boat I've just bought. Get more money. Lose some weight. (CHUCKLES) Being healthy, um, happy, and loving life. Eat less sugar. Make new friends. (SLURPS) Keep on enjoying life. I'm not even thinking about it. To do well in uni. Be good to everyone and be happy. Balance work and life at home. Be encouraging and choose happiness. And just be a better person. Make change ` and help the environment, as well. (SLURPS) Look after the environment. Words of wisdom there. Yes. We certainly need to look after it, because we're at a tricky time with the old planet. Unless, of course, you're a climate change denier, in which case, you just keep your head buried in the sand. But for those of you who do believe in science, the long-range forecast is not good. It's fair to say 2018 gave us a taste of a pretty frightening future. (AC/DC'S THUNDERSTRUCK) Stay on guard. This is a powerful storm that can kill. And what a peculiar feeling knowing that the coast in North Carolina's gonna be changed forever. Surviving this storm will be a test of endurance, teamwork, common sense and patience. (MAN YELLS, WIND RAGES) What's the most surprising and the most astounding, to be quite honest, is how quickly the storm surge has taken over this town. We've seen submerged vehicles, we've had dumpsters floating by us, we've had all kinds of debris. It's frankly just getting a little bit difficult to stand up in these conditions. Authorities are trying to put this fire out right now. You can see that helicopter. (AC/DC'S THUNDERSTRUCK CONTINUES) Oh my God, the tree's burning right next to us. All those homes gone. I can feel the heat now. (SOBS) Yeah. (WAVES BOOM) Oh! Whoa! (WOMAN SCREAMS) (MUSIC CONTINUES) Each year we start seeing quite extreme weather events. And honestly, whether or not we could pin each individual weather event to climate change is almost beside the point. The fact is these are becoming more frequent. Invercargill hit a record 32.3 degrees yesterday, the city's highest temperature since records began back in 1921. I was freakin' out. Everyone in my family was freakin' out. And I said to Callum, 'Why is it so yellow-looking out the window?' And he looked out and he said, 'There's a bloody fire.' Wow, she is quite something, that woman there. And we're joined on the Year in Review comfortable chairs now by 1 News weather guru Dan Corbett. And, Dan, it seems like it was a pretty extreme year for weather. Is this gonna be the new norm? There's always something I tell people ` when I was going to university years and years ago, hence all the grey hair ` years and years ago ` we learned that there'd be all these extremes happening in so many years. Now we are seeing these extremes now. Just from a weather person's standpoint, you look at these weather systems; you see these massive Cat-5 storms, massive eye of these things, they do all their horrible devastation. And every single time you look at them and you just go, (GASPS) Even from a weather standpoint, you're just in complete and utter awe, but also it's scary just how Mother Nature, she's just literally become this big, ugly beast at times. If we focus on New Zealand, we did have a very hot summer last year. What are you expecting for the summer holidays this year? We go through this this coming year. The waters are warm again. There's El Nino sitting over in the corner. If it gets all its bells and whistles together, that may come and affect our weather; hopefully not spoil our summer. I think we still want to get some nice summer` We all do, fingers crossed. But the sea temperature too, that affects the storm systems, it gives them more fuel, and then like we've seen in the last several weeks of the year, all these lows. What do they do? They just come and they sit on top of New Zealand. 'Want some more rain?' No! How about havin'` (CHUCKLES) So are we getting a mixed bag? I'm not sure what the answer was to the summer holiday question. No. I'm trying to work it, you know? I've been on the phone to her every day. I've been saying, 'Look, can you give us some nice weather for summer?' And, you know, she's just like` Sometimes she blanks me. Does she not take your calls? She's ghosting you, Dan. Mother Nature is ghosting you. You know, after all these years, I thought we were like this. I thought you were too. OK, so you don't know. The sea temperature` In a nutshell, if El Nino comes into play, that will put a bit more variability. We will get our summer highs, but this thing with the water temperature, that adds more fuel to the lows, so I'm one of these people, I'm gonna go to the beach, but I'm gonna keep that raincoat in the back of the car. Good advice. So summer's a little bit trickier, but obviously it's easier to predict 2019 as a whole year. Piece of cake. Easy. We're always driven by the one thing ` we've got the Southern Ocean, we got the tropics. They do their thing, then Mother Nature stirs it round three times throws it up in the air and says, 'Here's your weather.' We'll get some hot, we'll get some cold, and we'll get some fine as well. (LAUGHS) Sitting on the fence. Goodness me. No, I'm in a nice, comfy` LAUGHS: He's doing such a good job of it. It will probably be mild. Mild! (LAUGHS) Well, happy New Year, Dan. Have a wonderful holiday. See you in the new year. You too. Happy New Year. Happy New Year. (GLASSES CLINK) Now we're just going to settle in and take a moment of reflection as we remember those we lost in 2018. (EMOTIVE PIANO MUSIC) So, back in Vietnam. One of my favourite places on Earth, and, uh, all of the things that I need for happiness. # R-E-S-P-E-C-T, find out what it means to me. # Music is my thing. It's who I am. # It's not me, it's not my family. # In your head, in your head they are fighting. # # So wake me up when it's all over. # (PIANO MUSIC CONTINUES) Did Cletus call you a legend? Uh-huh. I, George Herbert Walker Bush, do solemnly swear... We're America. We're gonna reach out and continue to help people, and that's gonna resonate in the long run. I hated it when anyone criticised my brilliant husband. And I... furious when they criticised my son. I would be writing these stories along with the artist we'd be working with, and we would all be hoping somebody would buy the comic books, but we never for a minute could have envisioned anything like what happened to these characters. The New Zealand forward moved up there like a great... Oh, hi, John. Jim here. The people of Auckland want to see their city council actively involved in changing the social fabric of the city. It has been a glorious time to be alive and doing research in theoretical physics. Look me in the eyes. Look me in the eyes, all right? Use your speed. Use your speed on this guy. There it is again! The QEII roar! Quax wins! I went to the Film Commission for finance, and they didn't like it. So to the Yanks, it looked like some nuclear statement from New Zealand. It made a shitload of money in the States. High five. I'm joined by the Prime Minister now. Good morning. Good morning, Greg. What happened? (SEAGULL CAWS) (IMITATES GUNSHOT) (REFLECTIVE ELECTRONIC MUSIC) * (UPBEAT MUSIC) There's gonna be more of an awakening with people in the world. I feel like it's gonna be a good year. Something bad's gonna happen, probably. It'll be more of the same. I just hope for the best for 2019. Donald Trump's gonna do something stupid. I think everything will just continue to stay the same. I'm hoping things change in America. I think that 2019 should be a better year, I hope, compared to 2018. I'm actually looking forward to it. Welcome back. I'm Hilary Barry, he's Jeremy Wells. We're looking back at the year that was 2018. Time now to talk sport with a guy who is on air with me on TVNZ for the first` This is a first. Yeah! The first time we've been on air as employees of TVNZ. Cheers. Yeah. Write that down. That'll be on Stuff shortly. Welcome. I've never been more moved. (LAUGHS) What a sporting year it was. We freaked out when the All Blacks lost ` twice. WHISPERS: Twice. But if you're looking for success, there was plenty, from the Winter Olympics to the Commonwealth Games to the Sevens to the Under-17 Women's FIFA World Cup. (PERCUSSIVE MUSIC) A massive switch backside 900. Puts that down. That was, I think, the best I've ever done that trick. It felt so good to land it. Left-side double 12. Are you kidding me, Nico? An alley-oop dub nine. What was that from? This is crazy! He's 16. (LAUGHS) How? A new star has been born. Is this good enough for a medal? Simply just honoured and proud to be a Kiwi. Come on, New Zealand! And they've got gold in their hands, and soon it will be around their neck. They're the Commonwealth champions. He is the Commonwealth champion. It's a win for New Zealand. ANNOUNCER: Sophie Pascoe! (FUNKY MUSIC) And your gold medallist, representing New Zealand ` Tom Walsh! He's got it! 229. ...here on the Gold Coast! It's got the height. Has it got the distance? ANNOUNCER: Representing New Zealand, Samuel Gaze! Gloyn. She was in there for the dive. ..the blue corner! (CHEERING) Good feet. He's on the inside! This is it! (WILD CHEERING) (ALL PERFORM HAKA) Gets up, goes again! (WHISTLE BLOWS) Michaela Blyde, there is nothing like this! (CHEERING) This has been one hell of a year. You couldn't script it if you tried. Actually, someone should make a movie about this year, straight up. (ENGINES RUMBLE) Holy smokes, I just can't believe we've done it. Holy guacamole. Ooh, a little bit of overplaying there! Would you believe it?! Can Wisnewski get a shot away? Oh, what a goal that is! (CHEERING) Yees! Yes! (MEN SHOUTING) That's the one they're looking for. Straight up. Surely... And it's in! New Zealand's first away series win against Pakistan since 1969. What a summer! Yay! Thanks to Danny Morrison. The summer of '69. What a magnificent cricket test that was, John Campbell. It was fantastic. Yeah. I mean, cricket is a game where home and away really matters, right? And people often talk about playing on the subcontinent. It's the same when teams like Pakistan and India come to New Zealand and we always start them in Dunedin, the poor buggers, and the southerly's cutting through them and they're miserable. But we won! We beat Pakistan. Admittedly not in Pakistan, but reasonably close to it. Very close to it. And I think the disadvantage for us always, as New Zealanders travelling overseas, particularly in cricket, is that we're used to the mild temperatures and we've gotta go over and play in 40 degrees, 35 degrees. You'd know all about this. I know all about that. So why don't we return that favour when people come back? (POP! HILARY AND JOHN LAUGH) We should play all our cricket in Dunedin. And Invercargill. Dunedin and Invercargill. And Stewart Island. Yeah! Stewart Island, boys. Off you go. What was your sporting highlight? Well, I like` Because I'm a great fan of the underdog, and also I'm a great fan of sport reinventing itself and telling us stuff we didn't know. So we started the rugby year` Cos rugby's my favourite sport, and it's the greatest of all sports... (LAUGHS HEARTILY) It's the beautiful game, the greatest of all sports. And we started the year with the Super Rugby competition. Then France came, and there was a terrible sense of ennui because I think we scored three points for every one point that France scored, and everyone was going, 'Oh my God.' And then the Black Ferns, bless them, won the world cup... Amazing. ...and won the sevens tournament at the Commonwealth Games. And they are just so good. And women's rugby is the fastest-growing area in the sport, and it's also the fastest-growing area in the sport globally. And you see women's rugby in countries like Colombia, America. The USA's taking to it in a really exciting fashion. And they're just great players. And a lot of them have come from backgrounds as amateurs. They've only just become professionals. And I just really like them. Go, the sisters. Go, the sisters! (LAUGHS) Hilary. Oh, right. (POP!) Yeah! That's a fizzer. It's a little bit late, that one. And I know you were juiced up over the Winter Olympics as well. Juiced, yeah. Two bronze in the Winter Olympics, and once again from youngsters. So I like sport's capacity to reinvent itself, and it felt like a year in which we met new people and sport changed. Good stuff. Hey, thank you so much` Is that it? Is that all you want from me? Yes. Chin-chin. Happy New Year. Cheers. You can go back to your family and friends now and celebrate New Year's with them. They're watching at home. Hello, family and friends. Yeah. Careful with the drink-driving thing. Yeah. Now, it has been a big year for Kiwi musicians, and your top five ` not his, cos they are quite eclectic ` your top five New Zealand h` hingles... LAUGHS: Hingles! ...singles for 2018 are, at number five... Here it comes. Drift Away by Sons of Zion. (FUNKY MUSIC) # Just drift away. # Yeah. # Number four is that catchy wee ditty by Drax Project ` Woke Up Late. # Walked you home. # Awake till dawn. Slept till noon. # And now I want more. # Number three spot goes to Six60 and Closer. # Closer, closer. # Come get closer. # At number two, Six60 again, this time with Don't Give Up. # I'm telling you, telling you, telling you # I... won't give it up. # No, no, no. So don't even, don't even... # And number one ` it's a trifecta ` goes to the hit Vibes by, you guessed it, Six60. (VIBES BY SIX60) JOHN: Six60, take it away! # I wanna be your one and only. # JOHN: And then, after Six60, Olympic Girl by Tiny Ruins. (HILARY LAUGHS) Everything by The Beths. See you shortly. Let your party popper go. (POP!) There we go. Take it easy. Take it easy. Hey! (LAUGHS) (GLASSES CLINK) * (UPBEAT MUSIC) Happy New Year! Happy New Year! Happy New Year, everyone. Wishing you all the best for 2019. Happy New Year! Happy New Year! Wishing you and yours a wonderful 2019. Happy freakin' New Year. Happy New Year! (KISSES, BLOWS) Happy New Year, New Zealand. Have a great 2019. Happy New Year, New Zealand. Happy New Year, New Zealand! (BOTH CHEER) Kia haumaru, kia kaha, kia maia. Happy New Year. Nga mihi o te tau hou ki a koutou katoa. Happy New Year. Happy New Year! Happy New Year! Happy 2019, everyone. Happy New Year! Happy New Year! (KISSES) Well, there goes 2018. Have a great night and an even better 2019. Happy New Year. Have a happy New Year from us to you. Happy New Year! Hari tau hou ki a koutou katoa. Happy New Year to you all. 2019 coming our way. Love more, laugh more, live more. Welcome back to our look back at the year that was 2018. I'm Hilary Barry. And I'm Jeremy Wells. And joining us on the comfy seats are comedians Tom Sainsbury ` you may have seen him impersonating some of new Zealand's favourite politicians like Simon Bridges and Paula Bennett ` and Chris Parker, who's done loads but made lots of magic on The Extra Slice, the online cousin to The Great Kiwi Bake-off. Happy New Year, gentlemen. Happy New Year! ALL: Happy New Year! (POP!) Happy New Year! And as is traditional on a TVNZ New Year's Eve show, you've gotta have party poppers. A few party poppers. Lovely to have you, gentlemen. What have been your highlights of 2018? Oh, great question. Yeah, really good question. Like, a huge highlight for me was, um, Simon Bridges' expenses being leaked early, obviously, and then also Paula Benefit. Tick, tick. That would be my... That's just so good for me. Yeah. That's my highlights. Highlights? I think the fact` Spending time with me. Spending time with Tom, number-one highlight. Wonderful. We are expecting. Are you? Aww! Gas. When's that? Um, when is that? It's gonna be a Libran gas. LAUGHS: A Libran gas. Um... (HILARY LAUGHS) And probably just the fact that the world hasn't exploded this year. Mm. Trump and Kim Jong-un met together this year. Like, the fact that that didn't end with, like, a... a flick to the face or a Charley horse or a sack tap` Or a nuclear, kind of, something. ...is a real triumph, isn't it? Now, the script says it's time for another countdown. So let's see which movies had New Zealanders rushing to the cinema. The top five films of 2018 are ` in fifth place, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again. # Mamma Mia, here I go again. # My, my, how can I resist ya? # Number four is Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. Everyone loves The Rock and Kevin Hart. I got a backpack on! You don't get in water with a backpack. Everybody knows that. Coming in at number 3, family favourite the Incredibles 2. 'Combustion imminent'? What does that mean? (BOOM!) Whoa! It means fire, Robert. Second place goes to Black Panther, doing its bit to boost tourism in Wakanda. The revolution... will be live. And the winner, proving that more is more, the Avengers: Infinity War. (EPIC MUSIC) (YELLS) (EPIC MUSIC CONTINUES) People love a superhero movie nowadays, don't they? Well, clearly. Don't they? They really do. Number one. I loved Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again. Yeah. Highlight of the year. It was very good. He's not gonna apologise for that. And you know what? I'm not gonna apologise for agreeing with you that it was a good movie. Possibly not my favourite. But it was much better than I expected. I like to think of the person who was in charge of putting the songs in the movie. And when they got told that they had to do a sequel and them going,... 'We used all the songs in the first movie,' and going through the back catalogue going, 'There's nothing left!' Yeah. OK, I wanna move on. Because now's the time we're gonna talk about something really, really incredible that happened during the year. We've shown you weddings, babies, tempests and tornadoes. But this was a story that took 2018 by storm. It captivated the whole world. And it took us all on an emotional roller-coaster ride. That's right, we're talking of course about those 12 Thai boys, their soccer coach and the miracle rescue. Imposing mountains that hide an immense task. Somewhere in there, 12 boys and their football coach remain trapped. There's no way of knowing if they're still alive. This cave is enormous. It's five miles long with a stream running right through it. This is a massive operation. Let me show you a little bit about where we are, because this patch of jungle has been totally transformed. There are rescuers and volunteers everywhere you look. And if you look up there, you can see oxygen tanks being stacked up outside the entrance to the cave. Those are for the divers. We have Australians here, Chinese, the British divers. It's just amazing to see Thailand come together. It's now a week after they went missing, and still nothing. But then on July 1st... (PEOPLE CHEER) Today is the best day. I've been waiting for my son for so many days. I am so excited. The divers who found the boys are among the best of the best, and they had to struggle through mud and murky waters that rose and fell ` an arduous journey in. So how now to get these children out? If you don't know how to swim and you're in a very black environment which could potentially kill you inside a cave, it's not a good environment to learn in. I was confident of getting the kid out. I wasn't 100% confident of getting him out alive. That is the first ambulance. The whole world has been waiting to see this, the whole country. We believe that the first boys from that cave are in that ambulance. (SIREN WAILS) The first four boys are free. We could just see our hands in front of our faces. The stones are razor-sharp. It's quite emotional as a father. Everyone feels as if they're our children. (1 NEWS THEME) There are just three boys and the coach left to come out of these caves tonight, certainly a great sign that this remarkable rescue mission is in its final stages. (PEOPLE CHEER) Feels like the country has been holding its collective breath. Now, after two and a half weeks, it can finally exhale. (GENTLE PIANO MUSIC) Words cannot describe how happy we were, yeah. Honestly, it was not a result that we thought we would get. I've never done anything as risky as that, and I don't think I ever will again. The relief, the joy, the elation at rescuers pulling off what seemed like the impossible will long be remembered. (GENTLE ACOUSTIC GUITAR) How good was that? (POPPERS POP) What a great result. As a parent, I would say ` that went right down there ` uh, what a moron the coach was. How ropeable would you be? The good thing is all those kids have learnt a great skill now. You know, they're all really accomplished divers. Yeah, true. I've never dived that kind of distance in my life. No. What was fascinating was how they` when they came back out I felt sorry for them cos after that punishment of being down for two weeks in the cave, then they decided that they'd keep them in hospital, in quarantine. Oh yeah, that's right. And that was horrible. I know. That's pretty tough. It was probably worse than the cave. But how wonderful was Elon Musk. Hey, cheers, Elon Musk, for all your help on rescuing those lovely Thai boys (!) ALL: Cheers. It was a great suggestion, the whole submarine (!) Whilst planning to get up to Mars, he was also going down as well. Yeah. He's a busy guy. He is. He did his best. He's thinking that way and he's thinking that way. Elon. All righty. Now, you've seen the best of last year. Now let's have a sneaky little look at next year. Here are four great new TVNZ shows that you're gonna wanna catch in 2019. You're welcome. Why's this happening to us? We're really nice people. Yes, exactly. We're just a nice, gormless couple from the city. And that is exactly why nobody will ever suspect us. I love you so much. Aw! I love you too. (ROCK MUSIC) You don't have to whisper. People get murdered all the time. Not round here, they don't. Well, that's the thing about rot. It eats away from the inside, then one day everything just falls apart. Anyone looking good for it so far? Could be. (ATMOSPHERIC MUSIC) (SNAPS FINGERS) You with me? OK, great. Yeah, we're good. Put this on. # Nobody at the wheel. # Somebody hold the controls, give me something real. # Let's go! Stall them. Your speech. You ready? Smile. (FRANTIC MUSIC) DAVID ATTENBOROUGH: The family is one of the most powerful forces in nature. For the past four years, we've been filming some of the most celebrated yet endangered species of animal on Earth. We join each family at a crucial moment in their lives, when the future of their dynasty hangs in the balance. (BIRDS SQUAWK) (CHEETAH SCREAMS) (INTENSE MUSIC) (TIGERS GROWL) This is Dynasties. # This is a wild game of survival. # Yes. More from Sir David Attenborough. Who doesn't love Sir David Attenborough? I love him. Yeah. Adore him. Him and Elon Musk. I mean, the blue chambray. He's been rocking a blue chambray now since 1977. He does it very nicely too. Let's not forget that Seven Sharp is gonna have a ripper this year. That's right. Absolute ripper. We'll have sobered up by then, which'll be good. Yeah. Hey, thanks for joining us, you guys. Oh, pleasure. Best of luck with 2019. Thank you. Here's to 2018. Happy New Year. ALL: Happy New Year! Whoo-hoo! ALL: Cheers! How would Simon Bridges say 'Happy New Year'? IMITATES SIMON BRIDGES: Heppy New Year. 'Eppy. It's sort of that glottal fry, eh. Heppy New Year. Heppy New Year. Heppy New Year. Heppy New Year. Those were our people this year, that's our show for 2018. Thank you so much for joining us. Happy New Year. Po marie. Shower me with it, Chris. (POPPERS POP) Oh! Don't aim it at people's faces, you guys. They've all been used. Oh my goodness.